‘Ole Miss is here’: Davis, Rebels reach SEC Tournament semis for third straight postseason
The 2023-24 women’s college basketball season has brought about a breakout for Ole Miss senior guard Marquesha Davis.
She showed again on Friday she has no intention of slowing down, either.
Davis scored a career-high 33 points in an 84-74 Rebel win over Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. It was the third win for the Rebels over the Gators this season, a first for the program against a single conference foe since 1991.
Ole Miss (23-7, 12-4 SEC), with the win, advances to the tournament semifinals for the third straight year. The Rebels erased an eight-point deficit. They’ll try to punch their ticket to the finals against No. 8 LSU on Saturday at approximately 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
“I felt I was very intentional on getting to the basket,” Davis said afterwards. “When I was intentional, I was able to get the drives that I got.”
“Marquesha is tough,” North Carolina transfer Kennedy Todd-Williams added. “She’s a first-round (WNBA) draft pick, for sure. Stop sleeping on her. She’s able to score on three levels. It’s fun to play alongside Marquesha.”
There she goes AGAIN.@MarqueshaDavis is cookin' 👩🍳 pic.twitter.com/KRNOow74bt
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) March 9, 2024
Davis became the first Rebel since 2019 to score 30 or more in a game.
Her single-game scoring effort is the second-highest mark ever by any one Rebel in an SEC Tournament game. Madison Scott finished with 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, the most in program history in the tournament. Scott has seven double-doubles this season.
Todd-Williams scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half. She had a team-high five assists. Davis scored double-digit points for the 24th game this season. Todd-Williams has done so in seven straight.
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“Incredible game,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. McPhee McCuin’s Rebels are the tournament’s three-seed in Greenville, South Carolina, this week.
“We knew Florida would really push us. It hasn’t been a walk in the park anytime we’ve played them.”
Double-Double SZN.@IAMMADISCOTT has her 7th double-double of the season! pic.twitter.com/8VKnCLa2fK
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) March 9, 2024
Ole Miss has claimed six consecutive wins over Florida.
But the Rebels more than had their work cut out for them on Friday.
Florida led 37-36 at the half. Ole Miss didn’t regain a lead until 52-50, and the teams were tied at 71 with two minutes to go. But the Gators had no answer for Davis, Scott and Todd-Williams, who went on an 11-0 run of their own.
The Rebels, as a team, wrapped the fourth quarter on a 13-1 burst.
“It’s about will in tournament time,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We didn’t fall for the banana in the tailpipe at all. We were prepared to play a game like this. Super proud of a lot of performances. Excited about another opportunity to be in the semifinals.
“Ole Miss women’s basketball is here.”
Ole Miss and LSU will be facing off in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2017. The Rebels last reached the tournament’s title game in 1983.
